Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 November 2014 Romans 5:8.

Romans 5:8.  But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Well well mih breddren, it’s Wednesday…! We’re halfway home in our workweek race…and we’re winning too! So please don’t let up, keep the pedal to the metal (smile) and just keep on doing whatever has been working for you so far.

Our omnipotent and merciful God is still on the throne, still in control, and He has the lives of all His children in good standing, calmly and blessedly working out His glorious plan for their good.

And all God’s children boldly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise and thanks be to the Lord our God, who in His great unconditional LOVE reconciled us to Himself, through the sacrifice of His son Jesus, while we were yet sinners!’

Oh what a truly wonderful and glorious God we serve and worship, my people!

And if by sad chance, you don’t happen to know that awesome Deity, or don’t know Him well enough, then here’s a li’l something from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional to help you ‘Learn to Know God.’

Please acclaim with me: ‘Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get to know you better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.

I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’

And if you said that prayer sincerely, then you will indeed feel all those old walls and encumbrances breaking down, falling apart, as Jesus fully enters your life. Wow Friends, our God is truly awesome, truly something else yes! 

And Bruh Paul points it out so clearly in our Bit: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’

And all God’s children declared a loud and thankful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to the Lamb who was slain for us!’ Yes my people, we can never repay, or thank Jesus enough for dying in our place.

As the scholars explain it: ‘5:8. Christ died for us: His death was vicarious. That is, He did not die merely for our benefit but in our place. His was a substitutionary sacrifice.’

That means we don’t have to die again for our sins; Jesus’ death paid for everything! Glory Be! And that’s why I can’t understand why so many people today are running away from Jesus instead of running towards Him.

But yuh know what my brethren, it all stemmed from the Father’s great LOVE for us! He didn’t have to send Jesus to the cross on our behalf nuh, He could just have left us to wallow in our abominable sins and end up in death and eternal separation from Him.

But His undying LOVE for us, His greatest creation, was so strong, it outweighed the grief, losing us would have caused Him. So in His vast, unending wisdom, He devised a plan to give us access to His holiness, righteousness and justice. Now, offering His One Son as a sacrifice hurt Him too, but He considered it the lesser of two evils.

As Jesus so boldly proclaims in a scripture we all know: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)

Oh Friends, I can’t think of a greater sacrifice than that; a Father giving up His only Son for a bunch of obnoxious, sinful ingrates!

But then again, as Jesus so poignantly declares: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) Then He went out and died for us to prove it.

Friends, Jesus put His money where His mouth was, are we doing the same? I certainly hope so, because there’s a very important addendum to that statement He made above there. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:14)

Yes my fellow believers, we can only be His true friends if we are obedient to His commands! If we are disobedient to His dictates, then we are not His friends. And that’s quite logical. It doesn’t make sense my dying for you, if you won’t live for me.

Now here’s an interesting bit of scripture on the subject from Peter, with which we’ll close today’s proceedings. Peter talks somewhat graphically about Christ’s suffering.

‘Who in his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet.2:24-25)

Oh my people, please, let’s put that on our plate to ponder on today nuh. Let that image of Christ on the cross be in our mind’s eye today, as we journey through life in this sinful and ungodly world, being His friend, doing as He commands, remembering that it was by His ‘sufferation’ that we were made whole, and given a once in a lifetime chance to return to the safe and LOVING fold of our great God and Creator: Yahweh! Much LOVE!

…friends stand by each other…so let’s stand by Jesus…as He stood by us two thousand years ago…and still stands by us everyday…

P.S. Oh Friends, it’s so short and sweet today! Glory be! So no complaints from the penny section. (smile) Much LOVE!

P.S.S. Would you believe that as soon as I was ready to send out the Bit, the ole computer froze on me. Chuh! It sure is trying to drive me crazy! But with the awesome help of Jesus, I won’t allow it to do so. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2014 Mark 5:36B

Mark 5:36B.      Be not afraid, only believe.

Oh Friends, here’s the good news this morning; we’re winging our way heavenwards on a prayer and a song!
 
‘Oh we’re halfway through, we’re halfway through, halfway through our workweek! So don’t give up, just stand up strong! Though things may seem unbearable, don’t give in to them. For if we keep the faith, fill our hearts with eternal hope, Jesus will surely see us through!’
 
Yes mih people, that’s undiluted, undisputable gospel truth! Jesus promised it, and He ALWAYS keeps His promises! Remember that. So regardless of whatever is coming against us this Wednesday October morn, just hold on tight to the safe and secure helping hand of our Lord and Saviour, because that’s why He sacrificed His holy and sinless life for our sinful ones.
 
Without His saving grace, like a snowball in the depths of Hades, we don’t stand a chance! But walking sincerely in the shadow of His awesome LOVE enables us to move mountains! As He says: ‘Only believe!’
 
And you know that’s the hardest part for most of us; letting go of our fears, our anxieties, our dreaded forebodings, and simply believing that Jesus is who He says He is, and will do what He says he will. But Jesus is so marvellous my people, that if we sincerely ask Him to help us believe, He will indeed do so!
 
Wow! What a magnificent Lord and Saviour! There’s truly none else like Him in the universe!
 
Yes Friends, I’m singing the praises of Jesus this morning because I know that they are true, since I experience them each and everyday! I’m not talking from hearsay, but from personal testimony, for everyday I see Him working for good in my life and the lives of those around me.
 
And I have absolutely no doubt that if you will only believe in Him, put your trust and faith in Him, surrender you lives to Him, He will work the same positive works in your lives too. All praise and glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit!
 
Ah mih people, how could I not LOVE Jesus eh? When I came down here just now, all groggy and miserable from lack of sleep – went to bed late obviously, and thus got up late too (smile) – I didn’t have a clue what I was going to write about, but within minutes, the little ditty at the beginning rose up in my mind and soul, and everything else just flowed smoothly from there.
 
Now if that wasn’t the ever-helpful, ever-faithful hand of Jesus, working magnificently in my life, then I don’t know what it was. I don’t even have a Bit yet; haven’t even touched the Good Book yet, and He’s already enabling me. Oh Friends and fellow believers, please give the Prince of heaven a loud and appreciative shout of thanks and praise.
 
And all God’s children boldly declared: ‘Thank you Jesus, thank you! You are indeed the Greatest! The ONE and ONLY Superstar! We LOVE you, we adore you, we praise your holy name, and sincerely thank the Father for sending you to sacrifice your sinless life to atone for our sinful ones!
 
Please help us to walk with you all day long, as we go about in this evil and ungodly world, doing your will, bringing the lost, the sick, the helpless to you for your saving grace, thus enabling your wonderful LOVE Revolution, and making a positive difference in these oh so troubled times. We sincerely bless and praise your holy name. Amen!’
 
Oh mih breddren, the ole fella’s chuckling here because though he’s still somewhat groggy with sleep – the caffeine hasn’t kicked in as yet  (smile) – the passion for Christ just seems to keep bubbling up from the depths of my soul this morning.
 
And believe you me, that’s just how it ought to be! We’re not supposed to be searching and fighting to find or reach Jesus, because He’s supposed to be right there with us, in our souls in the form of His Holy Spirit; our Helper, Guide and Comforter. Oh wow! Don’t get me started now nuh Friends; else I might just keep on writing and singing His praises all the livelong day!
 
Ah mih breddren, I do hope that this is bringing some joy with an amused chuckle to your souls, as well as comfort and encouragement, and also helping you to keep your focus on Christ, because that’s what it’s for, that’s what the Bit is all about. So please lighten up and enjoy the life set before you. It’s not going to be continually wine and roses, but once you have Jesus securely ensconced in your hearts, minds, bodies and souls, then everything will be all right.
 
Remember He has a good plan for our lives; one to give us hope and a future. (Jer.29:11) And He’s also promised to work everything out for our good in His own way and time. (Rom.8:28)
 
So even if we hold on to nothing else, let’s hold on tightly to the infinite promises of those two great scripture passages, and keep on keeping on with Jesus as our partner, our right hand man, our true confession, our redeemer, advocate and everlasting Saviour; the Truth, the Way, the Light and the Life!
 
Oh Friends, I do hope that what I’m writing here is making sense yes, because it’s all coming straight from the heart. And even if it doesn’t line up with all the rules and regulations of writing, I know for a fact that you all are smart and wise enough and heavenly guided to pick sense form nonsense! (smile) Oh how I LOVE writing these off the cuff Bits, which just flow unstructured from the passions of the soul!
 
Ah my fellow believers, the reality of it all is that I couldn’t be writing the Bit everyday for almost eight years now without divine help, assistance, guidance and encouragement.  That’s just the simple long and short of the story. It doesn’t have anything to really do with me, cause I’m just the conduit, the vessel through which the Word is noised about and abroad. In the long run, it’s simply all about Jesus!
 
So let’s praise and magnify Him, give Him eternal thanks, and glorify His holy name, as we ought to. And all this, we pray in Christ’s holy name. Amen…! And again we say…Amen! So let it be!
 
Got to go and find a suitable Bit now. Soon come.
 
Chuh! That didn’t take long at all nuh, because it’s a no brainer! The most appropriate Bit for this discourse are the comforting and true words of our Saviour to the ruler of the synagogue, who came to Him for help in healing his sick daughter, but then sadly heard that she had died before Jesus could lend a helping hand.
 
And my people, these simple words, spoken some two thousand years ago by that Messianic Jewish Rabbi, still echo down to us loudly through the ages, and still carry the same hefty and faithful promise of salvation and eternal life… ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
 
Truly words to live by my people! So let’s go out and do it, today and everyday that there’s the breath of life in our mortal bodies, for it’s heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
 
…when Jesus fills your heart…your soul…your life…you don’t need anything or anybody else…cause He is indeed sufficient…He’s our be all and end all… 
 
P.S. Steups! Would you believe that with my already tardy self, just when I went to send the Bit, the ole computer froze on me. Ah Lord eh! When it’s not one thing, it’s certainly another! (smile) But that’s exactly where true faith in Jesus makes the difference. Much LOVE!